"},{"ID":317312,"user_firstname":"Elif","user_lastname":"Bulut","nickname":"Elif Bulut","user_nicename":"ebulut","display_name":"Elif Bulut","user_email":"ebulut@esri.com","user_url":"","user_registered":"2022-08-24 18:23:17","user_description":"Elif is a Product Engineer of Social Analysis and Data Science on the ArcGIS Business Analyst team. She holds a PhD in Sociology and applies spatial data science and social research to help users explore demographic trends, community characteristics, and access to resources. She is passionate about turning complex data into clear insights that support real-world decision-making.","user_avatar":"
"},{"ID":364812,"user_firstname":"Yann","user_lastname":"Bovet","nickname":"Yann Bovet","user_nicename":"ybovet","display_name":"Yann Bovet","user_email":"ybovet@esri.com","user_url":"","user_registered":"2024-11-12 20:50:11","user_description":"Yann Bovet is a Senior Product Engineer focused on the Business Analyst suite of products. He is a big proponent of visualizing and interpreting data for predictive analytics.","user_avatar":"
"}],"short_description":"The new Esri Categories system for classifying points of interest provides a streamlined way to search and browse POI across data sources.","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Whether you\u2019re a POI power user or an excited beginner, points of interest (POI) data in ArcGIS Business Analyst provides a wealth of information on locations like businesses, facilities, services, and public spaces. Popularly accessed in the points of interest search<\/a>, nearby analysis<\/a>, and void analysis<\/a> workflows, any Business Analyst user worth their salt will tell you this data is crucial to many analyses.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2970820,"id":2970820,"title":"Image 1 - vegan POI search Mexico City","filename":"Image-1-vegan-POI-search-Mexico-City.png","filesize":1310101,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-1-vegan-POI-search-Mexico-City.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/bus-analyst\/analytics\/esri-categories-arcgis-business-analyst\/image-1-vegan-poi-search-mexico-city","alt":"POI map","author":"78361","description":"","caption":"Vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Mexico City mapped using the Foursquare data source.","name":"image-1-vegan-poi-search-mexico-city","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2970819,"date":"2026-06-16 21:33:18","modified":"2026-06-17 16:26:22","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1922,"height":913,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-1-vegan-POI-search-Mexico-City-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-1-vegan-POI-search-Mexico-City.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":220,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-1-vegan-POI-search-Mexico-City.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":365,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-1-vegan-POI-search-Mexico-City.png","large-width":1920,"large-height":912,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-1-vegan-POI-search-Mexico-City-1536x730.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":730,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-1-vegan-POI-search-Mexico-City.png","2048x2048-width":1922,"2048x2048-height":913,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-1-vegan-POI-search-Mexico-City-826x392.png","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":392,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-1-vegan-POI-search-Mexico-City-1920x912.png","wide_image-width":1920,"wide_image-height":912}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" One of the reasons this dataset is so valuable is the breadth of its coverage, thanks to the multiple providers of POI data. But with that data diversity comes the challenge of navigating it: how do you find POIs consistently, when the categorization systems differ from provider to provider? ArcGIS Business Analyst, for the first time, is introducing a consistent POI classification system for multiple POI data sources. Let\u2019s get to know Esri Categories!<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","content":" What is Esri Categories?<\/a><\/p>\n How do I access Esri Categories in Business Analyst Web App?<\/a><\/p>\n How do I access Esri Categories in Business Analyst Pro?<\/a><\/p>\n What problem does this solve, and how does it work?<\/a><\/p>\n","image_reference":false,"layout":"standard","image_reference_figure":"","snippet":"","spotlight_name":"","section_title":"","position":"Center","spotlight_image":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" Esri Categories is a proprietary classification system that standardizes POI category searches across the Data Axle<\/a>, SafeGraph<\/a>, and Foursquare<\/a> data sources into one consistent system. The aim is to help you find what you need faster and more reliably, no matter what data source you\u2019re using.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2970822,"id":2970822,"title":"Image 2 - Esri Categories in UI","filename":"Image-2-Esri-Categories-in-UI.png","filesize":42695,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-2-Esri-Categories-in-UI.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/bus-analyst\/analytics\/esri-categories-arcgis-business-analyst\/image-2-esri-categories-in-ui","alt":"Esri Categories system in POI search","author":"78361","description":"","caption":"","name":"image-2-esri-categories-in-ui","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2970819,"date":"2026-06-16 21:36:04","modified":"2026-06-16 21:36:11","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":620,"height":431,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-2-Esri-Categories-in-UI-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-2-Esri-Categories-in-UI.png","medium-width":375,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-2-Esri-Categories-in-UI.png","medium_large-width":620,"medium_large-height":431,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-2-Esri-Categories-in-UI.png","large-width":620,"large-height":431,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-2-Esri-Categories-in-UI.png","1536x1536-width":620,"1536x1536-height":431,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-2-Esri-Categories-in-UI.png","2048x2048-width":620,"2048x2048-height":431,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-2-Esri-Categories-in-UI.png","card_image-width":620,"card_image-height":431,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-2-Esri-Categories-in-UI.png","wide_image-width":620,"wide_image-height":431}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" Esri Categories is designed to bring a user-friendly, consistent experience to the POI search process. These are the design principles we followed:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In Business Analyst Web App, you can locate Esri Categories through the points of interest search field. The POI category system defaults to the one provided by the currently selected data source. To access Esri Categories, do the following:<\/p>\n You can access the Esri Categories system when using points of interest search in Business Analyst Pro, by connecting to a U.S. 2026 dataset. You can use the online 2026 dataset through a portal connection or the local U.S. 2026 dataset (pending release in July 2026).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The conception of Esri Categories began with user feedback regarding the, at times, cumbersome nature of navigating the different POI data sources. Using multiple different systems, the category path to find the same real-world place could vary widely by POI provider. Users\u00a0felt they had to\u00a0relearn the search interface each time they switched sources\u2014and saved workflows don\u2019t translate cleanly.<\/p>\n For example, let\u2019s say you\u2019re going to use a category search to map pet stores in your area. You mostly use Foursquare data in your analyses, but this time you\u2019re using Data Axle. And the next time, you might use SafeGraph. But getting to pet stores proves to be a different path, with different classification logic, each time.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2970830,"id":2970830,"title":"Image 3 - POI category illustration","filename":"Image-3-POI-category-illustration.png","filesize":184035,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-3-POI-category-illustration.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/bus-analyst\/analytics\/esri-categories-arcgis-business-analyst\/image-3-poi-category-illustration","alt":"Illustration showing data categorizations","author":"78361","description":"","caption":"","name":"image-3-poi-category-illustration","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2970819,"date":"2026-06-16 22:12:12","modified":"2026-06-16 22:12:25","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1400,"height":917,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-3-POI-category-illustration-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-3-POI-category-illustration.png","medium-width":398,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-3-POI-category-illustration.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":503,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-3-POI-category-illustration.png","large-width":1400,"large-height":917,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-3-POI-category-illustration.png","1536x1536-width":1400,"1536x1536-height":917,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-3-POI-category-illustration.png","2048x2048-width":1400,"2048x2048-height":917,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-3-POI-category-illustration-710x465.png","card_image-width":710,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-3-POI-category-illustration.png","wide_image-width":1400,"wide_image-height":917}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" In the non-unified system, the paths to find the same POIs are fairly different:<\/p>\n A user searching for pet stores\u00a0shouldn\u2019t\u00a0have to remember three different category trees. We used standardized industry relationships (like NAICS) as an anchor, then\u00a0grouped\u00a0them into a clearer, user-focused hierarchy that stays consistent even when vendor schemas change.<\/p>\n With Esri Categories, \u201cPet Store\u201d\u00a0resolves to\u00a0a consistent category path, so you can switch POI sources without changing how you search\u2014and results\u00a0remain\u00a0easy to interpret in maps and analysis. With Esri Categories, you can browse categories in Data Axle, Foursquare, and SafeGraph using the same category system, which locates \u201cPet Stores\u201d in the same place in all datasets:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Leveraging Esri Categories can only improve your workflow! Existing POI search lists will continue to work and display the types of locations users have grown accustomed to. Esri Categories is a user-focused alternate category system you can explore to find the exact locations you\u2019re looking for across most POI related workflows including void analysis, infographics, suitability analysis, and more.<\/p>\n Need to compare results between POI datasets? How about look at similar results across country borders?<\/p>\n Saved POI searches using Esri Categories allow users to search across multiple datasets without having to change parameters, allowing for an apples-to-apples comparison. Each dataset comes with different focuses and sources resulting in variations in the available points of interest.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2971958,"id":2971958,"title":"EsriCategories_yann","filename":"EsriCategories_yann.png","filesize":249425,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EsriCategories_yann.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/bus-analyst\/analytics\/esri-categories-arcgis-business-analyst\/esricategories_yann","alt":"Multiple POI datasets","author":"78361","description":"","caption":"","name":"esricategories_yann","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2970819,"date":"2026-06-22 23:02:35","modified":"2026-06-22 23:02:53","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":780,"height":241,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EsriCategories_yann-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EsriCategories_yann.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":143,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EsriCategories_yann.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":237,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EsriCategories_yann.png","large-width":780,"large-height":241,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EsriCategories_yann.png","1536x1536-width":780,"1536x1536-height":241,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EsriCategories_yann.png","2048x2048-width":780,"2048x2048-height":241,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EsriCategories_yann.png","card_image-width":780,"card_image-height":241,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EsriCategories_yann.png","wide_image-width":780,"wide_image-height":241}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" <\/p>\n The Esri Categories system will inspire you to create more streamlined, yet precise, POI searches in ArcGIS Business Analyst products. We hope you\u2019ll explore more data and capabilities in Business Analyst Web App and Business Analyst Pro. To continue your Business Analyst journey, visit the following resources:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This article uses Business Analyst Web App Standard and Business Analyst Pro<\/span>\u00a03.7<\/span>\u00a0to map points of interest (POI)<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Points of interest data\u00a0<\/span>is<\/span>\u00a0from the ArcGIS Places dataset\u00a0<\/span>provided by Esr<\/span>i<\/span>. Basemaps are provided by Esri.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n"}],"related_articles":[{"ID":2963993,"post_author":"321952","post_date":"2026-05-22 06:05:46","post_date_gmt":"2026-05-22 13:05:46","post_content":"","post_title":"Compare and contrast: Map points of interest (POI) in ArcGIS Business Analyst","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"compare-and-contrast-map-points-of-interest-poi-in-arcgis-business-analyst","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2026-05-22 06:13:09","post_modified_gmt":"2026-05-22 13:13:09","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=2963993","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":2872462,"post_author":"321952","post_date":"2025-07-01 10:24:01","post_date_gmt":"2025-07-01 17:24:01","post_content":"","post_title":"Map grocery stores to analyze food deserts using point data aggregation in ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"map-grocery-stores-to-analyze-food-deserts-using-point-data-aggregation-in-arcgis-business-analyst-web-app","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-09-17 10:29:38","post_modified_gmt":"2025-09-17 17:29:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=2872462","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":2560722,"post_author":"321952","post_date":"2024-11-14 06:39:08","post_date_gmt":"2024-11-14 14:39:08","post_content":"","post_title":"Use new POI search capabilities to map parking and entertainment in ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"use-new-poi-search-capabilities-to-map-parking-and-entertainment-in-arcgis-business-analyst-web-app","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-11-14 11:07:08","post_modified_gmt":"2024-11-14 19:07:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=2560722","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":2890832,"post_author":"21351","post_date":"2025-07-11 13:19:38","post_date_gmt":"2025-07-11 20:19:38","post_content":"","post_title":"Mapping walkability to LA28 Olympic venues: A transit accessibility analysis using ArcGIS Pro","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"mapping-walkability-to-la28-olympic-venues-a-transit-accessibility-analysis-using-arcgis-pro","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-07-14 08:23:54","post_modified_gmt":"2025-07-14 15:23:54","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=2890832","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"show_article_image":false,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/card-image.png","wide_image":false},"yoast_head":"\nWhat is Esri Categories?<\/h2>\n
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How do I access Esri Categories in Business Analyst Web App?<\/h2>\n
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How do I access Esri Categories in Business Analyst Pro?<\/h2>\n
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What problem does this solve, and how does it work?<\/h2>\n
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How will this affect my work?<\/h2>\n
Resources<\/h2>\n
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